Others Summon, I Forge Beast Armor

〖Current Era: Symmetry〗

〖Your Astral Tortoiseling has evolved to Ribbon Worm!〗

〖Hunter Worm | Burrowing Worm | Giant Marine Worm〗

〖Current Form: Giant Marine Worm〗

〖Elapsed Time: 26,000,000 Years〗

〖Congratulations! Your Astral Tortoiseling has acquired the skill: Danger Instinct!〗

〖+200 XP〗

As Luke looked up at the towers of the Golden Dawn Guild, a few notifications appeared. The system reminded him that while he was getting stronger on Earth, Amigo was working away for twenty-six million years.

Amigo had survived through two eras and lived as twelve different forms while trying to become the Astral Tortoiseling again.

During that long journey, he had gained a new skill. Luke was curious about what it did.

Maybe it had something to do with the era Amigo had just survived. Or maybe it was the reason he had managed to stay alive for so long.

〖Skill: Danger Instinct〗

〖Description: Passively detects hostiles and incoming hazards, granting a premonition of danger.〗

”It just keeps getting better and better,” Luke thought. ”Amigo is becoming a fully fledged support beast. I can’t wait to fight alongside him. With Nature’s Call and Danger Instinct, he might end up having the best perception out of any beast.”

Twenty-six million years...

”If only there were a way to speed up his evolution...” Luke wondered.

So far, he hadn’t found any option in the system that could do that.

Screech!

Scarlett parked the car in the Golden Dawn Guild’s parking lot. On top of the building stood many statues of famous hunters and their summons. The rest of the guild looked amazing, with architecture that didn’t even seem possible.

Scarlett and Raven decided to go inside, while Luke and Vivian stayed outside to keep watch. Since they were splitting up, the drone split into two as well.

Vivian looked at the map one last time before closing it.

”Isn’t this drone kind of an invasion of privacy?” she asked. ”What if someone needs to use the bathroom?”

”I’m sure that’s the exception,” Luke chuckled, leaning against the car. ”Everything else has to be recorded so they can enforce the rules and stop people from cheating.”

Vivian looked around, watching hunters come and go from the guild.

”So Lady Scarlett using her family’s guild doesn’t count as cheating?” she asked. ”Isn’t she taking advantage of her position?”

”Well, when you put it like that, it does sound a little unfair to the other students,” Luke admitted, stroking his jaw. ”But the rules never said you can’t use your connections. Resources are resources.”

He looked at Vivian with a grin.

”Maybe you can help us out too, since you’re a legitimate Kingsley child.”

The sounds of the city filled the air again as Vivian crossed her arms, trying to think of a way she could help. Luke stayed quiet. He didn’t want it to sound like he was telling her what to do.

Suddenly, a woman’s scream echoed across the street.

Luke and Vivian turned at the same time, searching for where it had come from.

”My baby! Someone help! My baby is in the street! A car is going to hit her!”

A mother ran into the road, chasing after her little daughter. Cars swerved left and right as they tried not to hit the child.

”That woman needs our help,” Vivian said, springing into action without thinking. Luke wanted to remind her that a guild was right here and could handle this, but she was already airborne, followed by her drone.

”Do not worry, ma’am. I’ll get your daughter!”

The mother gasped as Vivian’s shadow swept over her like a falcon.

”A hunter... She’s so young! So brave!”

Vivian grabbed the little girl just before a truck with bad brakes could hit her.

HOOONNK!

The driver shut his eyes, thinking the worst had happened. But when he looked again, the little girl was already safe in the heroine’s arms.

”Phew! Are you okay, little one? What were you thinking, running into the road?”

”Mr. Fluffy...” the girl sniffled as she pointed at the road.

Vivian finally understood what had happened. The mother had been chasing her daughter, and the daughter had been chasing her summon.

It was just a stray beast that had wandered off.

First, it surprised Vivian that such a young child from an ordinary family had already awakened a beast. But this wasn’t the time to think about that. She needed to catch the summon before something bad happened to it. Most children couldn’t call back their summons easily, so Vivian couldn’t expect the little girl to do it.

As everyone watched the toddler and her runaway summon, Luke noticed something else.

The summon wasn’t just running away. It was chasing something.

”That van...” Luke muttered, watching a van drive haphazardly down the road. It didn’t have a guild symbol. It didn’t even have a license plate. Something didn’t feel right, and maybe the summon was chasing after that.

〖You have equipped the Seven-Tusk Elephant Sabatons!〗

Luke joined Vivian airborne, though he couldn’t fly as high as she could. Vivian was looking for a safe place to put the baby down before going after the summon, but Luke flew past her so fast that she could only stare.

He kept his eyes locked on the van and on the brave squirrel summon. But before much could be done, the driver panicked and lost control. The van flipped onto its side and slid across the road, sending sparks everywhere.

Luke scooped the squirrel from harm’s way while Vivian met up with him.

”Don’t hurt me! Please! Don’t kill me!” the driver cried as he crawled out of the van. Since Luke and Vivian were rookies, he took advantage of that and fled the scene as fast as he could.

”Why is he saying we shouldn’t hurt him?” Vivian asked innocently, still holding the baby like she was her own.

Luke squinted into the van that was now open.

”Because he’s a monster dealer,” he replied as a creature lunged out of the darkness for their throats.

〖You have equipped the Hell Ape Gauntlet!〗

The monster clamped its jaws onto Luke’s arm. It was a Giant Salamander, whipping its tail, trying to tear Luke apart.

”Vivian, get everyone away! Leave this to me!”

”Yes, sir,” Vivian cooperated, letting Luke handle the monster because she wasn’t sure if she could take it on herself.

Civilians screamed as Luke and the Giant Salamander struggled for dominance. This was just a Beta monster, but Luke didn’t understand why it was so aggressive. However, he had faced stronger foes for this one to make him sweat. Luke was only buying time until Vivian cleared the street.

Once she was done, Luke smashed the creature’s head with Purgatory Charge, ending its rampage.

〖You have slain a Giant Salamander〗

〖Flame +15.0〗